Secret Gardens

It was a stunning morning when I got up around 9:30. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. I wrote in my journal, then put on Brunch With the Beatles. The movie A Hard Day's Night was in the spotlight. Songs we heard from the Beatles' "day in the life" screen debut included the title song, "I Should Have Known Better," "If I Fell," and "That Boy." The peaches I wanted to use for pancakes aren't ripe yet, so I got rid of the last of the lime juice I used on Dad's pie a few weeks ago and made Tropical Pancakes (lime and orange juice and coconut). They were pretty tasty, a little too sweet (I shouldn't have added sugar to cut the zing), but plenty of zest.

Called Mom during the second half of the show. She was working on things downstairs while my nephew Skylar played upstairs in the current spare room. They're still trying to decide what to do with Keefe's old room. Mom says she wants to lay new carpet and paint before they figure out anything permanent. She's also pretty happy that Anny, Skylar's mom, is doing well at Lund's Fisheries and may be getting a better management position and a raise soon, hopefully enough to put her son in daycare and give Mom some time off.

After I got off with Mom, I did some things online and around the house. My right side has been sore for weeks now. I wondered if it had anything to do with the hasty job I did putting the bed together last May? I really should have asked someone, Andrew or Dad or a neighbor, to help. One side of the bed felt lower than the others. I raised it to be in line with the other sides of the bed. Hopefully, it'll feel better tonight. Since I fixed the bed, I made it, too. I moved the two larger Care Bears over to the bed and may move around other collections in the next few weeks.

Work was busy all day, surprising considering how nice it was. I figured most people would be at barbecues or birthday parties (we've sold a ton of birthday cakes all weekend). I was still in a rather sour mood, and being told to roll down my pants when I already had didn't help. (You try riding to work on a warm day in long pants on a bike.) I was very happy when my relief was right on time and I could get out quickly.

I made salmon in balsamic vinegar and mushrooms and a salad and watermelon for dinner. After I finished, I swept the porch, which was once again covered with a bumper crop of rock-sized pepper nuts and acorns. It was too nice to hang out inside, but it was too late and I was too tired for a long walk. I went for a short walk in the park next-door instead.

I was surprised to see a series of squares in the middle of the park when I arrived. Veteran's Memorial Park  in Oaklyn is really just a small piece of green land next-door to me that ends in a spectacular view of the surrounding homes. Normally, it's not used for much besides Oaklyn's Easter Egg Hunt, fishing, and the occasional rental event like the wedding last August or the Girl Scouts' Halloween games. It has no room for playgrounds or walking paths like the other local parks. I'll bet a lot of locals don't even know it exists.

As I strolled closer, I realized that the squares were filled with colorful shapes and winding ropes. The shapes were...flowers! Flowers and vegetable plants. From the looks of things, thanks to the recent rain, they were flourishing. Watermelons and cantaloupes grew big and juicy in one square. Several yellow corn stalks created small sunbursts in another. Some vines sported tiny green peppers; others had gourds so fat, the stalks could barely hold them. The tomatoes weren't quite ripe yet, but the marigolds were brilliant and beautiful. I saw stakes squared off into several unmowed parts that will probably become even more gardens. There was even a little sitting area, with ancient wicker furniture and a bright yellow wooden chair on a stiff tarp surrounded by more flowers. Further up front, a stand of trees had been surrounded by rocks and landscaped. It looked very pretty.

I have no idea who put so much work into this, if it was the Girls and/or Boy Scouts, or if Oaklyn has a garden club, or if someone got a permit and decided the park could use some changes.